Spatial datasets of probabilistic wildfire risk components for the sagebrush biome (270m)

Metadata:

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster

Raster_Object_Information:

Raster_Object_Type: Pixel

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Map_Projection:

Map_Projection_Name: Albers Conical Equal Area

Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:

Standard_Parallel: 29.5

Standard_Parallel: 45.5

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -96

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 23

False_Easting: 0

False_Northing: 0

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: Coordinate Pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.0000000037527980722984474

Ordinate_Resolution: 0.0000000037527980722984474

Planar_Distance_Units: Meters

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.25722210

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication.


VARIABLE DESCRIPTION FILE (1)

1. \Data\_variable_descriptions.csv: Comma-separated values (CSV) file containing a list and description of variables found in all data files. (A description of these variables is also provided in the metadata below.)

Columns include:

Filename = name of data file
Variable = name of variable
Units = units (if applicable)
Precision = precision (if applicable)
Description = description of variable


DATA FILES - BURN PROBABILITY (1)

1. \Data\SBRA_BP.tif: Georeferenced (GeoTIFF) raster files (and associated files) containing modeled burn probability data for the sagebrush biome at a 270-meter grid spatial resolution.

Values in the BP data layer indicate, for each pixel, the number of times that cell was burned by an FSim-modeled fire, divided by the total number of annual iterations simulated. The burn probability layer depicts only one component of wildfire risk, indicating the tendency of any given pixel to burn, given the static circa 2020 landscape conditions depicted by the LANDFIRE data, contemporary weather and ignition patterns, as well as contemporary fire management policies (entailing considerable fire prevention and suppression efforts). Pixels with burnable fuel types that did not burn in any simulation iterations (20,000-100,000 iterations depending on pyrome) were assigned a nominal burn probability value of 0.000008 (1 in 120,000). This value is lower than any value calculated through the simulations, but prevents subsequent calculations of hazard or risk on these pixels from automatically being zero.

The BP data do not, and are not intended to, depict fire-return intervals of any vintage, nor do they indicate projected fire footprints or routes of travel. Nothing about the expected shape or size of any actual fire incident can be interpreted from the burn probabilities. Instead, the BP data, in conjunction with the FIL layers, are intended to support an actuarial approach to quantitative wildfire risk analysis (e.g., see Thompson et al. 2011).


DATA FILES - CONDITIONAL FLAME-LENGTH PROBABILITY (6)

2-7. \Data\SBRA_FLP#.tif: GeoTIFF files (6) containing conditional flame-length probability (FLP) data for the sagebrush biome at a 270-meter grid spatial resolution (# = 1-6, which represents the different fire intensity levels described below).

Values in the FLP layers indicate, of all simulated fires that burned a given cell, the proportion in each of six standard flame-length classes as follows:
FLP1 = < 2 feet (ft)
FLP2 = 2 < 4 ft
FLP3 = 4 < 6 ft
FLP4 = 6 < 8 ft
FLP5 = 8 < 12 ft
FLP6 = 12+ ft

Burnable fuel types that did not burn within simulation limits (20,000-100,000 annual weather scenarios modeled, depending on the pyrome) were assigned an average FLP value based on the pyrome-wide mean of similar pixels. The purpose of assigning FLP values in these cases is so subsequent calculations of wildfire hazard and risk will not automatically equal zero at these pixels. FLP rasters were divided into zones based on combination of pyrome, surface fuel model, and presence or absence of burnable canopy cover (defined as Canopy Cover > 0 and Canopy Base Height <= 30). Zonal means were calculated in ArcGIS for every combination, and pixels with burnable fuel models that did not burn during simulations were assigned the mean value from burned pixels with the same combination of pyrome, fuel model, and burnable canopy presence/absence. Values assigned in this manner were checked and adjusted where necessary to ensure that the six FLP rasters summed to one in all cases. The reliability of FLP estimations likely increases with the number of simulations where a pixel was burned.

The utility of the calibrated FSim BP and FLP data for quantitative geospatial wildfire risk assessment is described in Thompson et al. (2011) and Scott et al. (2013).



SUPPLEMENTAL FILES (9)

1. \Supplements\19-2-02-11_final_report.pdf: Portable Document Format (PDF) file containing the 2023 Joint Fire Science Program Final Report for JFSP Project ID: 19-2-02-11, "Using next generation fuels data and outcome-based metrics in fire risk assessments for high value resources in the sagebrush biome".

2. \Supplements\SBRA_BP _270m.png: Portable Network Graphics (PNG) file displaying the burn probability map for the sagebrush biome using class breaks on a full log (1/3-log) scale.

3-8. \Supplements\SBRA_FLP#_270m.png: PNG files (6) displaying the conditional flame-length probability data for the sagebrush biome at a 270-meter grid spatial resolution, for six different flame-length classes (#=1-6): FLP1 = < 2 feet (ft); FLP2 = 2 < 4 ft; FLP3 = 4 < 6 ft; FLP4 = 6 < 8 ft; FLP5 = 8 < 12 ft; FLP6 = 12+ ft.

9. \Supplements\SBRA_pyromes.png: PNG file containing the 31 pyromes (Short et al. 2020a) used as simulation units for the sagebrush biome risk assessment (SBRA).

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

Scott, Joe H.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Calkin, David E. 2013. A wildfire risk assessment framework for land and resource management. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-315. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 83 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/rmrs-gtr-315 and https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/56265

Short, Karen C.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Riley, Karin L.; Vogler, Kevin C. 2020a. Pyromes of the conterminous United States. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0020

Thompson, Matthew P.; Calkin, David E.; Finney, Mark A.; Ager, Alan A.; Gilbertson-Day, Julie W. 2011. Integrated national-scale assessment of wildfire risk to human and ecological values. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 25: 761-780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-011-0461-0 and https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/37465

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20240313

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory

Contact_Person: Karen Short

Contact_Position: Research Ecologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory

Address: 5775 US Hwy 10 W

City: Missoula

State_or_Province: MT

Postal_Code: 59808

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 406-329-4800

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: karen.c.short@usda.gov

Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999